Up to $10,000 fine for waterfall trespassers requiring rescue

The city will seek fines of up to $10,000 for trespassers requiring a rope rescue at Hamilton waterfalls.

August 9, 2017

“Anyone who is a repeat trespasser or causes a rope rescue will be issued a court appearance and we will be seeking a higher fine,” said city spokesperson Ann Lamanes.

Bylaw enforcement officers went to the hospital and issued a Part 3 summons to a hiker rescued Wednesday at Albion Falls while the woman was still being treated for minor injuries.

The summons is a more serious charge than the standard $135 provincial offences notice given to 51 trespassers at Albion Falls since heightened enforcement began July 17.

Of those notices, 15 were given out the same day the woman was rescued. She was singled out for the summons because she required help. She will now have to appear in court and faces a potentially larger fine of up to $10,000 if convicted.

July 14, 2017

“The person that was rescued required the emergency services team to respond for over two hours to get her out of a prohibited area,” Lamanes said. “We have laid a more severe charge because of the impact this offender has had on emergency services and city resources.”

Less than two hours after the city announced it had issued the summons Thursday, a hiker required emergency help at Tew Falls in Dundas just after 4 p.m. A rope rescue was not required, but the woman was carried out in a basket.

The Hamilton Fire Department has expressed concern in the past about charging trespassers for the cost of rope rescues for fear it will deter those in trouble from calling for help. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Authorities seek ways of deterring hikers from Mount Albion Falls

The “meat-loving” marine creature that ate at the legs of a Melbourne Australia teenager has been identified as a flesh-eating sea flea, known as a lysianassid amphipod.

July 14, 2017

Marine biologist Dr Genefor Walker-Smith said the creatures, which left 16-year-old Sam Kanizay with significant bleeding from his legs, were a small, scavenging crustacean that usually fed on dead fish or sea birds.

Amphipods are related to shrimp and prawns but are smaller in size, ranging from 6-13mm. They are not venomous and their bites do not cause any lasting damage.

They are commonly known as sea fleas or sea lice, although Walker-Smith noted that sea lice was more commonly used to refer to isopods, a different type of crustacean.

Kanizay said on Monday he was soaking his legs at Brighton beach when he felt the creatures attack, causing wounds that would not stop bleeding.

September 17, 2016

“By the time walked across the sand about 20 metres … I looked down and noticed that I had blood all over my ankles and feet,” he said. (Source: The Guardian)

Meanwhile, Hamilton fire prevention officer Steve McArthur said a total of 10 hikers needed assistance getting out of Albion Falls after an “excessive amount of water” came Monday afternoon. No one was injured, he said.

Albion Falls has been at the centre of the public and political backlash lately over people ignoring safety warnings and trespassing.

This has led the city to bolster safety features, including adding $75,000 worth of fencing and increasing ticketing enforcement of trespassers. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)